Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Police Chief C.J. Davis both say they are focused on making sure the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis strengthens public safety without disrupting the community — and ideally, delivers some benefit.
At a Sept. 30 town hall meeting at Healing Center Church, Davis told residents the Guard is expected “sometime in the next two weeks.” She said the department is pressing for clear agreements so that Guard members support police operations rather than overlap or confuse them.
“We want to make sure our community members understand that the Memphis Police Department is the primary public safety agency in the city of Memphis,” Davis said. “Ideally, we’ll have a memorandum of understanding so we’re all on the same page about who’s doing what.”
Young struck a similar note, echoing remarks he made earlier this month. “My goal is to make sure that as they come, I have an opportunity to work with them to strategize on how they engage in this community,” he said. “We want to make sure that whatever resources are provided, they reinforce the strategies that we know are working in Memphis not distract from them.”
Trump: Inner cities are ‘a big part of war’
The collaborative tone in Memphis is quite the opposite of the combative language coming out of the White House.
“We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard,” Trump told an audience of hundreds of military generals and admirals on the same day, saying that “inner cities” are “a big part of war.”
“It’s the enemy within. And we have to handle it before it gets out of control,” Trump said. “It won’t get out of control.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi have also indicated intent to come to Memphis but haven’t set a date yet.
What’s coming and still unknown
Despite the White House memorandum issued Sept. 17 authorizing the Guard, many specifics remain unsettled: how many soldiers will come, what roles they’ll be assigned, and how long they’ll stay.
What is clear is that the Guard is only part of a broader multi-agency push. Gov. Bill Lee announced Sept. 12 that 13 federal agencies — including the FBI, DEA, ATF and U.S. Marshals — would join the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Memphis Police Department in operations here. Highway Patrol officers have already been visible along the I-240 corridor, writing hundreds of tickets and making dozens of arrests in their first week.
Making it work for Memphis
Even among critics, a consistent theme has emerged: While Memphis did not request the Guard, local leaders want to do everything possible to ensure their presence does not destabilize progress.
“We want to make sure that whatever resources are provided, they reinforce the strategies that we know are working in Memphis,” Young said. “My commitment is to make sure this happens in a way that truly benefits and strengthens our community.”
Davis underscored the point: “This has to be about partnership. MPD remains in charge. But if we have more resources here, we’ll do everything we can to make sure it helps Memphis.”
